Posted by Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in Mandatory Annual Counseling- Kelly with Rinker…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present
Snip

“We getting drunk after this,” Kelly said to Ian entering the counseling suites. While she was just as irritated as her husband, at this minute, she was a wife and not a commanding officer.

“Plastered,” Ian winked at her before heading over to Cara’s door.

Kelly waited until Ian entered the office before palming the door chime to Rinker’s office. She had zero desire to be in his office when it wasn’t a social call. Socially, the man was great to catch a drink within the lounge. He was quick with his wit and his humor fell right in Kelly’s sweet spot of funny but with a sprinkle of sarcasm. Waiting she took a sip of her coffee knowing Rinker tended to not see the point of playing food and beverage host during his one-hour session. She didn’t doubt he could give her a cup of coffee but Kelly had known the man long enough to know he knew her trick of using coffee to avoid and evade less than comfortable situations.

Kelly Bordeaux CO

“Enter,” Rinker called abruptly. Much like a captain order to go to warp a counselor’s call to enter his office was an iconic part of his personality.

“Ah, Captain, commander, the Bordauxs - Bordeauxes…” He tilted his head. Even though the spelling had changed the pronunciation didn’t really match the sounding.

“So are we doing couple counseling, or am I going to have to do this one at a time.”

Rinker

“Today one at a time,” Kelly said before turning to Ian and whispering something under her breath to him. While Rinker would not hear the words, he would see the expression on Ian’s face. It was an expression of irritation and annoyance but changed as fast as a breeze to the more casual smile he typically wore. Kelly watched Ian walk out and kept her back to Rinker long enough to replace whatever expression she was wearing to a more neutral one when she turned to face the chief psychiatrist.

“We are your 1300 and 1400-hour appointments,” she confirmed what Rinker already knew. “Ian has to go for his annual psyche eval suddenly even though it is four months off just like I suddenly was required to get mine done.” The disdain in her voice was evident. “It was suggested that we not see the same person so he is with Cara for the next hour. After that he is coming back over here to discuss some…things.” Kelly had an easy relationship with most of her crew. She didn’t mince words but she also wasn’t as reserved as she seemed to be now. Taking a seat across from Rinker, Kelly looked around the room. She was far more formal than normal and clearly tense. Whether it was because she was being forced here, like Ian next door with Cara, to satisfy the powers that be back in Starfleet HQ or due to the obvious recent events in her life remained to be seen.

“Who would suggest that?” Rinker countered. He had several theories that would suggest separate counselors would be a good idea. He disagreed. The fact is an individual therapist probably shouldn’t be the couple’s therapist, but a therapist could do individual therapy for two people. In fact, often it was helpful as it was getting both sides of an argument without letting them argue.

“Some bozo at Starfleet command,” Kelly rolled her eyes. “My gut says Admiral Perkins but it is only a guess. Originally, they ordered Ian and I to see two strangers on Idax V which is where we were ordered to head to and await further orders.” Idax V was a backwater moon orbiting a gas giant with a small Federation outpost. The Federation had an outpost there whose main duty was resupplying ships. The reason for the Atlantis heading there could be to reduce secondary casualties or to keep the situation on the ship out of the public eye. “Then Admiral McLaren stepped in and the consensus was our ship with two independent counselors. With all the things going on behind the scenes right now, I think it was the best option. We might be a dysfunctional family right now but we are a family.”

“You are fortunate the ship has two counselors.” Rinker served on many ships and stations with only one counselor for 1000 crew. Now annuals would represent 25 weeks of work for a thousand people which would only leave maybe 15 hours a week to address individual long term issues, which usually was enough if the counselor was willing to work without breaks. There would be a couple of long term cases, and perhaps twice as many crises, but again one counselor per ship was enough. Although he was certainly grateful for the help.

Rinker was, immodestly, a better therapist than Cara, with more than two decade more experience, and probably more importantly not intimidated by the Captain or the Commander.

Focusing her gaze on Rinker, Kelly decided to be direct. “So are you and I going to do a dog and pony show for an hour before you stamp me sane and fit for command or are we going to make this easy and you sign off now so we can have a drink before Ian gets here?”

Kelly Bordeaux CO

“You are bossy even in settings where you aren’t the boss.” Rinker looked under his desk for a moment and pulled out a bottle and two glasses.

“No, I am just succinct and I am the boss everywhere. This ship should be called the USS Bordeaux.” Her smirk was definitely cocky but there was a tension to it. Normally Kelly was laid back and confident almost to a fault. Today she was faking her calm, her confidence, or both.

“Are you trying to get me to disagree?” He was about to counter, the ship might be USS Bordeaux, but this office was all Rinker, but she was inviting the power struggle.

“How bout, just the dog show and a little less pony.”

“Ill concede the fact that you are sane, and meet you halfway. Drinks and you can tell me what has been your biggest personal problem this year.” He poured the two glasses way too full for 1pm in the afternoon. “Just so you know, I’m going to drink on duty for your husband as well.”

Rinker
:
“This is a beautiful thing,” Kelly said taking a sip of the overly full drink. It relaxed her far more than anything else Rinker could have done. It spoke to his ability to manage the Bordeauxes as he joked. He had known Kelly a long time and used his knowledge to nudge her where she often needed to go.

“No one offers me a drink on duty but even if they did I could not accept. Always having to be in control is a… yatza I think Jessa would say but I am not entirely sure if that word describes a difficult woman or the destination opposite heaven” A small chuckle left her lips before Kelly took a second sip. “As to my biggest personal problems,” she added an S to the word, “that would take much longer than an hour so how about we talk about either how half the crew wants to mutiny or how I break it to Ian he is losing his man cave to the newest unofficial member of the Atlantis.” Kelly took a third sip and waited for Rinker to reply.

Kelly Bordeaux CO

“Well lets consider this office an inter-spacial rift where rules don’t apply.”

“I don’t follow Jessa profanities as close as to determine what they actually mean. I follow the tones and know when she’s cursing at me.”

“No thanks,” Rinker tilted his head at her, “we negotiated the terms, you accepted the drink, now as one would say on a date, ‘put out,’” Kelly had worked hard to make this as superficial an assessment as possible, but he wasn’t going to take the first thing she proffered. Kelly even when ‘playing along’ wouldn’t give him what she was trying to hide without him using more than a few of his tricks, and probably a bit of alcohol. You didn’t get to be a captain without learning how to drink, but he was doing to test that theory.

Rinker